


When the World was Ours

by sratsome_jack



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:22:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26619649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sratsome_jack/pseuds/sratsome_jack
Summary: Stella had tried to forget the past but on the one-year anniversary of her ex-husband's death, truth finally comes out about how she met Jack, how it all went wrong, and how she came back from the dead.
Relationships: Handsome Jack (Borderlands)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 15





	1. Digging Up the Past

**_Sanctuary-a year after the fall of Handsome Jack_ **

The mood in Sanctuary had been one of perpetual cheer ever since the Vault Hunters had defeated Handsome Jack and the Warrior and rightly so. All life on Pandora had nearly been eradicated by a power-hungry tyrant. Even thinking his name made Stella sick to her stomach. How things had changed over the years. It was one of those days where she found herself thinking about the past. Probably because today was a day dedicated to the past, it had been exactly one year since that fateful day, which was now known as Liberation Day in Sanctuary. A strong glass of whiskey was just what was needed, but she couldn’t stomach the thought of going to Moxxi’s bar. That place would be the pinnacle of celebration. “ _One drink, I go in gulp it down, get out”_ she thought to herself.

The moment she stepped into Moxxi’s the feeling got worse. She quickly made her way over to the bar.

“What’ll it be today sugar?” Moxxi asked, all too cheerfully, “first drink’s on me today.”

Stella tried to put on a somewhat happy expression. “Single malt whiskey, from Eden 6 if you’ve got it, make it quick. I’m a little exhausted, didn’t get much sleep last night so I’d rather just be in and out today.”

Moxxi immediately caught on that something wasn’t right.

“Something wrong honey? I’ve never seen you leave the party early, and on Liberation Day of all days.”

Dammit, she was catching on.

“I’m fine Mox, like I said, I’m just tired.”

Moxxi was obviously still not convinced. “Alright I guess we’re going to do this the hard way then.”

That couldn’t be good.

“I’ll give you the whole bottle on the house if you tell me what’s up or you can keep it to yourself, but you’ll have to get your drinks in here.”

 _Okay Stella, make it vague_ , she thought to herself. “It’s just, I’ve been thinking about the past and it’s got me bothered and I just need to drink, please Moxxi, I’ll buy the whole bottle, you know I’m good for it.”

Moxxi started pouring a drink. “Sugar if you think anyone believes that for a second you’re dumber than I thought. Now tell me, why aren’t you up celebrating with everyone else?”

This woman would never be satisfied, maybe another vague explanation would do the trick.

“I just…a while ago…I….” She couldn’t find a way to say it. “I knew Jack, before it got bad.”

Moxxi nodded. “So did I sugar, a lot of us did. A little while back, some vault hunters and I put our trust in him and it only led to bad things, but trust me, it’s better that he’s dead.”

Whew, that was good enough, thankfully. Stella felt her heart slowing down after all that questioning.

Moxxi then placed a glass of whiskey in from of her. “How did you know Jack anyways? Childhood friend? Long lost cousin? One-night stand?”

Shit, what did she say?

“Yeah, something like that.” God that sounded dumb, didn’t help at all.

Moxxi laughed. “Which one is it? You’re not a Hodunk so I’m guessing you didn’t have a one-night stand with your cousin.”

It was over for Stella, hiding her past for years had seemed so easy but there was no more hiding it. She gulped down the rest of her drink in hope that the rush would give her courage. Before she could tell herself to stop, the words spilled out of her mouth.

“I was his wife.”

Moxxi looked at her in shock. “Well sugar I didn’t expect to hear that.”

Stella glanced down at her empty glass. “Yeah, but as far as Jack was concerned, I’m dead?”

Moxxi looked even more confused. “Jack thought you were dead?”

Stella nodded. “Yeah, everyone did, my family, Hyperion…” she paused, trailing off. “It’s a long story I won’t bore you with it today. I’ll just take that bottle and let you celebrate.”

She started to get up but Moxxi stopped her. “Wait a second sugar, I’d like to hear more about this.”

Stella sighed, she had kept her past a secret for so long. Surviving for this long on Pandora without anyone asking questions was easy enough but maybe it was finally time...but it felt easier to just keep it buried away. “Honestly I’d rather not talk about it. It was a long time ago, I’m over it, today’s just a little tougher but I’m fine, really.”

Moxxi shook her head, “It’s obvious you’re not over it. I once dated Jack myself and you don’t see me sulking about who he used to be or any of that nonsense, come on, we’ll go somewhere quiet, I’ll get someone to cover for me and we can talk about this.”

Maybe Moxxi was right, maybe talking about it would help. Stella should have learned long ago that no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t keep your past a secret forever. It would always find a way out.

“Fine,” Stella said, “But not here, not now. I don’t really want this shit getting around.”

Moxxi leaned over the bar, “don’t worry sugar, it’ll be our little secret. Meet me in the back room after the party’s died down.”

***

Stella was nervous as she approached Moxxi’s bar at the break of dawn. The noise and the fear of divulging her past had kept her wide awake the whole night. As she walked in, she found the peaceful silence of the bar to be somewhat unsettling. Moxxi’s was never this quiet.

“There you are, sugar, thought you weren’t gonna show.”

Stella spun around to see Moxxi approaching the bar, wiping down a glass.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Stella said.

“Well you’re here now, and I’m very interested to hear how you got yourself tangled up with Handsome Jack.”

Moxxi gestured to Stella to follow her into the back room. Stella followed her quietly. Part of her was regretting coming here. It wouldn’t have been too hard to just not show and then avoid Moxxi and the bar indefinitely.

Upon arriving in the back room, Moxxi set down the glass and made her way over to a shelf with many bottles. She grabbed a dark brown bottle with a barely visible “Jakobs” label on it. Stella couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle to herself.

Moxxi poured her a glass.

“Single malt, as always,” she said, bringing the glass over to Stella.

Stella sighed, shaking her head, and taking a sip. “I shouldn’t have said anything. You probably think I’m some kind of evil for falling in love with that bastard.”

Moxxi laughed. “Sugar, I did the same thing. Well, it wasn’t really love, but that man did have a charm about him.”

“He sure did,” Stella said, a half smile forming on her face as she glanced down at her drink. “But back then, it was something else. Out there, on Eden 5, he was the only thing that seemed real in a sea of greed and manipulation. When there was no one else I could trust, there was something about him that made me trust him. I could barely recognize the man he turned into.”

Moxxi was staring at Stella, curiously. “Well, you can’t back out now, can you, now that I’m intrigued. Tell me about the man you married.”


	2. That Night on Eden 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella begins her story by recounting the night she met Jack.

When I met Jack, I was fresh out of Eden 5 Megaversity, and working for a large hedge fund. I had gone out for a smoke after dinner with an investor had gone south. They were one of our biggest investors, and there was nothing we could do to stop them from pulling out. They had stormed out on dinner, despite our pleas and the news would not go over well with the higher ups in the morning. I was half expecting that I would take the blame for the loss, since I was the lowest on the totem pole and I had done a fair amount of work on their file. As soon as the dinner ended and the tab was paid, I got the hell out of there as fast as I could.

Standing outside the restaurant, I lit up a cigarette, trying to tune out the constant bustle of Eden 5. It was hard to relax on a planet like that. It was a place that was always alive, and that was full of opulence. To try and escape it was futile. I sighed, trying to slow down as the city sped on around me. I was so lost in my own head that I didn’t notice a man come up beside me.

“You got a light?” he asked.

I turned, to him, snapping out of my trance. “Yeah, here you go,” I said, taking out my lighter and offering it to him.

“Rough night?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Nothing out of the ordinary, just lost a big investor, might get blamed for it. You know, corporate bullshit.”

“Oh yeah,” he laughed, “I know all about that.” He pointed to the Hyperion logo on his jacket.

“You guys hiring?” I asked, half joking. “Not sure how long I’m gonna have a job after this.”

“As much as I’d like to offer a pretty girl a job,” he said, flirtatiously. “I’m just a code monkey.”

“Damn,” I said. “There goes my dream of a cushy corporate finance job.”

“Don’t you worry sweetie,” he continued. “I’ll make sure we’ve got a job waiting for you when I make it to the top.”

I laughed, flattered that he seemed to be taking an interest in me. “Dreaming big, are we?”

“What? You don’t?” he asked.

“No, I do,” I said. “I wouldn’t put myself through this shit if I didn’t have dreams. I wanna climb that ladder as much as anyone else on this planet does, probably more.”

“But you don’t think you’ll ever get there?”

“Nights like tonight make it seem a hell of a lot harder,” I responded.

The man took one more puff of his cigarette, finishing it and throwing it away. “You seem like you need a drink, can I buy you a drink?”

I smirked. “A drink sounds great, but I don’t know your name and I don’t think I can deal with the bars in this city tonight.”

“I’m Jack,” he said, extending his hand and leaning in a bit closer. “And I’ve got drinks at my place.”

“And how do I know I can trust you, Jack?” I asked him. “How do I know you’re not gonna kill me and burn the body?”

“Cause I’d be an idiot to think that nobody would come looking for a pretty suit like you,” Jack said. “I mean, even if I wanted to kill you, I’ve already ruined my chances of getting away with it by letting everyone on this busy street see us together and somehow I think your company would probably be wondering where you were, even if they think you did lose a big investor. If they wanted you dead, they’d probably want to kill you themselves so if I wanted to kill you I picked a bad strategy and a bad target.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll make you a deal, you take me to the liquor store so I can grab some whiskey, and if you can show me I can trust you in that time, I’ll come over for drinks.”

“Deal,” he said. “Except I’m buying.”

I scoffed, “you can afford a single malt scotch? And not the cheap stuff, I need at least a 12 year.”

“Maybe tonight I can,” Jack teased. “If you tell me your name. So, I know who to make this expensive gift out to.”

“It’s Stella,” I told him. “And if you’re willing to spend that much on someone you just met then either you’re really trying to impress me or this is a really expensive murder scheme.”

Jack laughed. “Stella, honey, you’ve got expensive taste. But, I’m feeling generous and so far I kinda like you.”

I’m still not entirely sure what made me go with Jack. It just felt right in the moment. Maybe I was just happy to see someone being nice to me, or trying to impress me. I’d spent so long fighting to impress people, especially that night. It was nice to have the tables turned for once. Something about Jack made me feel like I could trust him.

“So, how’d you end up here?” Jack asked, breaking the silence that had fallen as we started walking in the direction of his apartment.

I’ve never really liked talking about my past. Especially not then. I had worked so hard to erase it.

“I grew up here,” I said, giving him the story that I gave everyone else.

“Oh, we’ve got ourselves a rich girl here,” Jack teased.

It was a fair assumption. Eden 5 was an expensive planet, you couldn’t survive very long if you didn’t have a good supply of cash. Only the most determined and ruthless could work their way up from nothing.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, you could say we were well off. I was never strapped for cash. I wasn’t handed everything though.”

“Daddy bought me everything I ever wanted but I worked hard to get my job,” Jack said in a sing-song, mocking tone.

My expression soured. If he only knew.

“Sorry Princess, did I hit a nerve there?” Jack asked with a chuckle.

“I just don’t like people acting like they know me when they don’t,” I huffed, breaking eye contact.

Jack sighed. “Alright, alright, tell me about your struggles.”

“Look, you’re right that I came from money, my family was well connected, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have the drive to do it,” I explained. “Thing is, once you get a job, you’re scum no matter where you come from. Unless your family owns the place, it doesn’t matter who you know, they treat you like shit, you work the long hours. ‘Daddy’s money’ didn’t mean shit the day I walked into Wolfe Capital. You still gotta work your ass off to move up the ranks.”

“At least you didn’t have to smuggle yourself onto an interplanetary transport and hope some company would be impressed by your self-taught coding skills,” Jack retorted.

“I get it, you struggled harder,” I said. I may have sounded dismissive and cavalier but deep down I was impressed. To do what Jack purported to do wasn’t easy. “I just…don’t like when people act like I don’t know hard work. Hell, I might not have a job tomorrow considering how that dinner went. If that happens, you’ll be better off than me.”

“Gotta admit, I like an ambitious woman,” Jack said, a charming smile appearing on his face. “You seem like you actually want something. These other rich bastards, they don’t give a shit about anything other than keeping the money in the family.”

I nodded, with a small smile. I understood that more than he knew.

We made our way to the liquor store and then continued on to Jack’s apartment. Jack held up his end of the deal and bought me a half decent bottle of whiskey that met my standards.

His apartment seemed almost too nice for someone of such a low rank in the company but it was the programmer’s complex and from what I'd heard, Hyperion liked to entice its programmers with a few nice things. I glanced around, admiring the sleek decor.

Jack went over to the mini-bar he had set up in the kitchen, gesturing for me to follow. I went to sit down on a stool that was set up by the kitchen counter. Jack pulled out the bottle he had just picked up and grabbed a couple of glasses, pouring a generous amount of whiskey into them. He slid one of the glasses to me.

I took a drink. The bitterness and the burning of the whiskey was refreshing on a night like this. I took another swift gulp of my drink.

“Woah there princess,” Jack quipped. “At this rate you’ll be blacked out in an hour.”

“You say that as if that’s not the goal,” I retorted. “And if you think I go down easy then you clearly don’t know me, or any investment banker, really.”

“Just don’t go passing out on me,” Jack said. “I was kinda hoping I’d actually be able to get to know you, not dragging you to the couch when you blackout.”

“You invited me here to drink,” I reminded him, taking another swig, finishing the glass. “You kind of accepted any of the potential consequences.”

As we made out way through more of the bottle, the hours began to slip away even faster. We were both at least a bit tipsy and our inhibitions were dropping. Jack and I had made our way to the couch and found ourselves slowly inching closer to each other. I found myself able to relax around Jack. Maybe it was just the whiskey, but I felt the stresses of the day slip away with the hours.

“Hey, it’s getting late,” Jack commented. “Why don’t you stay the night?”

“Not so fast,” I said, “when I agreed to come for drinks, I didn’t mean that you’d be getting anything out of me.”

Jack scoffed. “Now now pumpkin, what kind of guy do you think I am?” His voice conveyed a sort of faux-offended tone. “I just want to make sure you’re not going home alone so late.”

“Don’t play games with me, Jack,” I said. “Do you forget what I do? My job is basically seeing past people’s shit, being perceptive. You want something? Just be straight with me.”

He finished pouring me another drink and sat down next to me. “Honey, if I wanted something…”

“You’d get it?” I interrupted him. “Sure you would. I’m sure you could also get with any girl you want and I’d be so lucky to be chosen by you. Spare me the talk and cut to the chase, what do you want?”

I felt Jack’s hand slowly move to my leg, causing me to shiver.

“What I want is to make sure that your shitty night ends on a good note,” he said.

I moved back a bit. “I asked for a straight answer and I’m not getting one. You do realize that giving me what I want is the best way to get what you want, right?”

Jack shifted closer to me once again. “You’re a smart woman, pumpkin, look at the situation, I’m a man who’s alone late at night and I’ve got a pretty girl in my apartment. Put it all together and I think you’ll have the answer you’re looking for.”

I knew exactly what he wanted but I wasn’t going to let him win. If there’s one thing I’ve never liked, it’s being overpowered. I leaned back against the couch, a cocky smirk on my face.

“Last chance, Jack. Tell me what you want or you’re not getting it at all.”

He sighed, defeated. “God dammit, Stella you play hard to get.”

“I don’t like when people play games with me,” I responded. “The choice is yours: a straight answer or you can get off this couch and let me sleep.”

“Well, either way I won’t be on this couch much longer cause I’ll be in my bed, and if this is going how I think it is I’ll be taking you with me. Y’know, cause I want to have sex with you. Is that straight enough for you?”

“Now that wasn’t so hard was it?” I teased, “and I guess it wouldn’t be such a bad way to end this night.”

That night with Jack was supposed to be a one-off. A way to blow off some steam after a rough night. I didn’t plan to see him again, or call him, or anything like that. But, as fate would have it, we would cross paths again.


	3. Sweet? Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After starting a new job, Stella comes across a familiar face.

About a year after I somehow managed to not lose my job, I was head-hunted by Hyperion to join their finance team. I jumped at the chance for a corporate position. Hyperion was growing at the time, looking at colonizing opportunities and expanding their sphere of influence, and they were hiring investment people left and right.

As the fiscal year came to a close, the work piled up. Suddenly I was drowning in annual reports. Fate did not seem to be on my side at that time. To top it all off, I was missing the report from the AI programming team. They were a pain to get in touch with and always gave me paperwork filled with mistakes.

Needless to say, I was exhausted. I knew I would have no choice but to go and pry that plan from the team myself. But first I needed to grab a coffee. Just as I was leaving, I heard someone calling my name.

“Stella! Wait up!”

I turned around, annoyed. “And what the fuck do you want?”

I then realized who I had just snapped at.

“Jack,” I said, my tone becoming more calm. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I actually wasn’t expecting I’d ever see you again, ever.”

“And I was expecting you to be a little more excited to see me but I guess we’re both full of surprises,” Jack quipped, “I mean I saw your name on our team’s file and thought I’d surprise you by coming to deliver it but I guess that night we spent together was not as good as I remembered.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sleeping with me doesn’t excuse the fact that this is two weeks late” I told him. “And on top of that I know I’m gonna be spending half my time just catching the mistakes that you guys always make, so forgive me if I’m not rolling out the welcome mat.”

“Would a free lunch help?” Jack asked.

I scoffed. “Is this your team’s way of bribing me so I won’t put your report at the bottom of the pile and conveniently forget about it until after your deadline, leaving you all with nothing for the board or the investors, which would probably lead to all of you being transferred to sanitary? I’m giving you best case scenario here.”

“I mean, I was thinking of it more as a ‘nice to see you again let’s catch up’ thing but I guess if it also meant you conveniently had a moment to look at it today to help us work through a few kinks then that’d be a bonus,” Jack hinted.

The offer of a free lunch was tempting. And if I was being honest, I was a little bit happy to see Jack again. I had enjoyed our night together and I didn’t mind the idea of getting the chance to spend some more time with him. Hyperion so far had proved to be a bit of a lonely place. You had acquaintances who you got along with, but a friendly face was a rarity. Right now, Jack’s seemed like a friendly face. And he was buying me lunch. It may have been a bribe, but it was one I didn’t intend on turning down.

I shook my head. “Alright fine, we’ll go through this over lunch but only cause I don’t want my ass on the chopping block as well. You cover the bill and take me through this file and I’ll do what I can.”

We grabbed a table at the Hyperion restaurant on the mezzanine. I opened up the file and started flipping through the papers but Jack quickly stopped me.

“You didn’t actually think I was gonna let you go through the file now did you?” he said.

I glared up at him. “If you want it approved, I gotta start now. If there’s any edits, they’ll need to be done by the end of the day and knowing you guys, there’s gonna be edits.

“Damn, you’re really not our biggest fan are you,” Jack said. “Is this cause I never called you? Cause it kinda feels personal.”

I slammed the file closed, looking up at him with an unimpressed smirk. “If you think this is about you, you’re fucking delusional. Do you really not know how shitty your team is at submitting this stuff?”

Jack shrugged. “I let the bosses deal with all that. I just write code.”

“Then why the hell are you dealing with it now?” I asked, glancing back down at the file.

“I might have mentioned that I’d had an encounter with our contact and they might have thought that me showing up would make said contact a little less hostile. And I’m not gonna lie, it seems like it might have worked.”

I laughed and shook my head as I continued to look through the file. I was still less than thrilled at the team’s lack of punctuality and I would definitely be having words with the people in charge of compiling the reports but seeing Jack again did admittedly improve my mood. If they thought this was going to help them get off easy though, they had another thing coming.

As I had expected, the file was a mess. Too much of a mess for me to make sense of right then and there. I was starting to get hungry, so I closed the file.

“Guess it’s another all-nighter at the office again,” I quipped, looking back up at Jack. “You’d better get me whatever I want cause they do not pay me enough for this.”

Jack just laughed. “From what I hear they pay you guys more than enough, and besides, can’t you just call Mommy and Daddy for extra cash? If I remember right, you come from money.”

“Our salaries look high on paper but if you broke it down by the hour and take into account the money we make them, they’re getting a bargain. Trust me, it’s only a matter of time before one of us snaps kills someone,” I told him. “And yeah, I come from money, doesn’t mean I get a constant injection of cash. This job’s kept me from even talking to my family for months, don’t exactly have time to ask them for money, even if I needed it.”

“Oh, come on,” Jack scoffed. “You can’t have it much worse than the rest of us.”

I shrugged. “It was someone from Investment who threw Erickson into the wall last week. Me, specifically.”

Jack burst into laughter. “Oh man, that was you? That is too good. You really did that?”

“He was being an idiot, I was running on coffee and 4 hours of sleep so I did what I had to,” I responded. “If he could really have done those projections better himself then why did he come to me?”

Jack still could not stop laugh. “Damn, princess, I underestimated you. You still drink single malt?”

“Not right now I don’t,” I said. “You wouldn’t want me going over this file drunk would you.”

“Fine,” Jack said. “But I owe you. I promised I’d buy a drink for the person who finally gave Erickson what he deserved.”

I smirked. “Sure, get me next time you see me off duty. Which is probably gonna be never, but here’s hoping.”


	4. Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long work week, Jack takes Stella to a place where she starts to remember a side of her that she didn't know she had anymore.

By some miracle, I managed to get all my paperwork in on time for the end of the fiscal year. After the final push and a ninety-hour work week, all I wanted to do was go home and sleep for days. Unfortunately for me, my day was never over once the work day was done. The company was having one of their corporate galas to celebrate another successful year. Usually I didn’t mind these quasi-mandatory social events but I was tired and wanted nothing more than to take off my investment banker persona. If I was going to get through the night, I needed a stiff drink. I went up to the bar, and asked for my usual single malt.

“That’s on me.” It was Jack.

“Good to know you keep your promises,” I quipped.

“Well, drink up princess,” he said, sliding the glass over.

“Lord knows I need this,” I said, pounding it back in one gulp.

Jack snickered. “Slow down there, you gotta make it through at least another hour or two.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s exactly why I shouldn’t slow down.”

“What? You don’t like corporate events?” Jack teased. “I thought you investment types lived for this kind of thing.”

“I’m tired as shit, alright. I’m only here cause I need to at least show up if I want any chance of making it up the ranks,” I sighed. “Fuck it, I need another drink.” I ordered another whiskey.

“When I’m CEO these things are gonna get a major overhaul,” Jack commented.

I laughed. “Yeah and when I’m CEO I’ll shoot all those old assholes into space.”

“That’s not a bad idea, I like the way you think,” he said. “I’m serious though, someday I’ll be this company’s CEO and things are gonna change.”

I took a sip of my drink. “Well if you make it before me, you can count me impressed.”

“Hey, if I make it, maybe there’ll be something in it for you,” Jack suggested.

“And why wouldn’t I just kill you and take CEO for myself?” I questioned.

“You wouldn’t kill me, princess. You like me too much”

I shrugged. “We’ll see. Get back to me when you’re CEO. If I don’t get there first.”

Jack smiled. “Hey, after these old bastards pass out, why don’t you come to the after party. The programming department usually throws these get-togethers after functions, you should come. It’s more fun than this.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know if I can do any more after this. Besides, I should be getting into work tomorrow.”

“These guys won’t be awake til 11 tomorrow, at least. No one’s gonna care if you’re working tomorrow morning, it’s the weekend,” Jack commented. “Come on, it’ll take your mind off everything.”

I thought about it for a second. I could use some unwinding, and I was enjoying my time with Jack. I hadn’t actually had any fun in ages.

“Alright,” I conceded. “I’ll go. As long as there’s some decent whiskey.”

Jack laughed. “Anything you want, princess.”

After a few hours of mingling with the higher ups and many, many fake smiles, I was nearly spent. Just as I thought I couldn’t take any more, I caught Jack signal to me from across the room and the two of us snuck out to the after party. The programmers seemed to have taken over one of the large weapons testing ranges in the basement of Hyperion headquarters. The atmosphere reminded me of all the nights in college I spent in dingy basements. Drinks everywhere, loud music, and of course the scene wasn’t complete without a bunch of programmers pulling stupid stunts. Oddly enough, I felt kind of at home.

Jack went over to the makeshift bar, jumping over it and grabbing the whiskey of unknown origin along with a bottle of beer for himself from behind the counter. He handed the whiskey to me. I tried to look for some indication of what kind of whiskey it was but the label was half ripped. I opened it and gave it a sniff, cringing slightly at that harsh smell of cheap booze. It was some real bottom shelf garbage but it would do for a night like tonight.

“Cheers,” he said, raising his bottle. “To making it to the top.”

“To wishful thinking,” I said, clinking my bottle with his.

The bad feelings and bitterness started to fade as I gulped my drink down. The stuff tasted rank but tonight it was perfect. The more relaxed atmosphere combined with the previous drinks finally caused my body to start to release the tension from the past week, allowing the alcohol to kick in. The outside world felt so insignificant at this point. As I made my way through more of the bottle, I started to feel more free, my inhibitions disappeared and the exhaustion of the long work week was soon gone altogether.

That night is a bit of a blur, I remember laughing a lot with Jack and some other programmers about dumb shit, I think there was some dancing on tables as well. What I do remember is that it was the first time that I had felt like my real self in a good long time. 

What I do remember, more clearly than anything else from that night, is when I stumbled across a shooting contest. I had just gone to the bathroom and was searching for Jack when I saw a group of people messing around with some gun prototypes. It seemed like they were having a little friendly competition. Jack, who was among this group, noticed me before I could react.

“Hey, there she is, how you feelin princess?” he teased, his words slurring a little bit.

“Fan-fuckin-tastic” I slurred, making my way over to the bench that him and a few others were sitting on as the contest went on. “Lemme join! I’m a good shot!”

Jack laughed. “Not on my team. I play to win, cupcake.”

“And what makes you think I’m not gonna win,” I retorted. “I always win at this shit.”

“Well considering you’re trashed…”

Before he could finish the sentence, I grabbed a gun from the table nearby and shot it three times. A small cluster of bullet holes had formed in the dead center of the target. “And so are you, buddy,” I said. “But at least I’m still a good shot so lemme in on this thing.”

Jack looked at me in awe. “Okay, this could actually work. You’re in, but don’t let me down, honey.”

Needless to say, our team ended up winning the round. As I made the last shot and hit yet another bullseye, the others on the sidelines erupted in cheers, as we all started making rude gestures at the other team.

I suddenly felt a firm punch on my arm.

“Nice going, princess!” It was Jack. “You’re not half bad for a drunk.”

“Bitch, I won this,” I slurred at him. “You’d be nothing without me.”

He laughed. “Yeah yeah, don’t get to cocky.”

Looking at him in that moment I had the strangest feeling. He was just so damn attractive. The way he was looking at me, that punch in the arm, not to mention the way he got all competitive. I was still riding a high from the alcohol, and combined with the rush that I got from a good round of shooting, I felt invincible. My mind almost instinctively began to run through all the things I wanted to do to him.

“Is it weird that I really wanna make out with you right now?” I slurred.

He laughed. “Not at all princess. Seeing you win us that game was pretty hot.”

We ended up locking lips in a drunken kiss, it brought me back to the night we met, when Jack had made me forget all of the stress of that night. That feeling of invincibility began to morph into a feeling of pure ecstasy.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I asked.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking, that we should totally fuck right now,” I said, laughing uncontrollably.

“Not a bad idea, princess” he responded.

Long story short, we stumbled back to my place and hooked up. Honestly, it was probably sloppy sex but we were both drunk enough to think that it was amazing. Whatever it was, it was a release.

I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and feeling ready to barf up my organs, to find Jack still sprawled out in my bed. I smirked, he honestly looked kind of pathetic, and I couldn’t wait to see how much pain he was in.

I got up out of the bed, feeling an instant head rush that made my head feel like it was about to split open. By some miracle, I made my way over to the kitchen. I pulled a couple bagels out of my cupboard and threw them in the toaster. I figured I’d be nice and give Jack something. I wasn’t giving him some fancy breakfast in bed, we weren’t married or anything. A little while after, I heard him limp into the kitchen.

“Oh, thank God, you’ve got food. I’m starving over here,” he said.

“Good morning to you too,” I responded. “How ya doing?”

“Besides feeling like I’ve just been mauled by Pandoran wildlife, not bad,” he said, sarcastically. “I’m guessing that the fact that I woke up in your bed means we definitely hooked up and that wasn’t a dream.”

I smirked. “Yeah, that did happen,” I told him. “Don’t ask me if it was any good, I was too shitfaced to tell. I had fun though.”

“You definitely sounded like you enjoyed it,” he said, with a chuckle. “That part I do remember.”

I turned a little red, I must have been louder than I thought. The toaster popped before I could respond. I grabbed the bagels out of the toaster and handed one to Jack.

“Just eat,” I told him. “Usually helps you feel better.”

He bit into it. “Better than nothing,” he quipped. “I mean I usually prefer a big plate of eggs and bacon but I’ll take what I can get.”

“Don’t push it,” I told him. “We had sex, don’t expect me to get all romantic or anything.”

He suddenly got a sickly look on his face. Like something was wrong.

“Come on, I know I’m not the best cook, but I couldn’t have poisoned you with a god damn bagel.”

“I need to use your bathroom” he said, before bolting out of the room. Well, as fast as one can bolt out of a room when hungover.

I heard some puking noises coming from the general direction of the bathroom for a few minutes. The sound almost made me feel the need to do the same.

A little while later he came out, looking questionably less sick than before.

“You good?” I asked. “If you need you can park yourself by my toilet for awhile.”

He shook his head. “Nah, I think I’m good now.”

“Take a fuckin shower at least, you’re nasty as hell right now,” I commented. “Go ahead and use mine, it’s gonna be awhile before I’m even close to getting into work.”

“Thanks hun,” he said, before heading back to the bathroom.

My head was still killing me, and water on its own wasn’t helping. I went and took a painkiller, that usually worked well enough.

Just as my headache was starting to ease up, Jack came out of the bathroom.

“You know, we should do this again sometime,” he suggested. “Maybe when we’re not so trashed. When we can actually remember it and not feel like death the morning after.”

I shrugged. “I’m not against the idea. Don’t be a stranger I guess.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” Jack said, winking. He glanced at his watch. “I gotta go, I got some things I should go in and do. Team’s got a project due by Monday, the code’s still screwy. I’ll catch you sometime though.”

I nodded. “Yeah, see you around.”

He turned to leave my apartment, but stopped short of opening the door.

“Hey, just one more thing,” he said, turning his head back to me. “How did you get to be such a good shot? Doesn’t seem like something a rich girl from Eden 5 would be all that good at.”

My heart started to pound. I shouldn’t have been so careless, showing off like that, I couldn’t let things slip. Unfortunately my drunk brain hadn’t seen things that way.

“It was just a hobby I had growing up,” I said. That was basically the truth. “Just something we rich girls did for sport.”

“Huh,” Jack said, nodding. “Well you must have won a few trophies with that aim. I’ll see you around.”

And with that, he was gone. He seemed to go for my story about how I’d become such a good shot. In all honesty, I didn’t think much would become of me and Jack at the time. I thought it would be one of those things where he said he’d come around or call me but never did. Clearly, I didn’t know Jack.


	5. Commitment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Stella started hooking up but what happens when someone catches feelings?

It didn’t take long for Jack to come by to see me. After about a week of sleeping in my office, I showed up to my door to find Jack waiting outside. I was admittedly kind of happy to see him there. It was nice to have someone waiting for me to come home. I hadn't had that in so long that it almost felt foreign. I could feel a warmth rising in my chest at the sight of him standing there and I couldn't help but smile.

“There she is,” Jack commented. “I was starting to think you were avoiding me there, princess.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Taking you up on your offer,” he responded. “You didn’t think I was gonna hit it and quit it, did you?”

I unlocked my door and gestured for him to come inside.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been coming by here every day,” I said.

Jack shrugged. “Only on the days I actually manage to leave the office,” he replied.

“Didn’t realize I was worth the effort,” I said. “And if you’re wondering, I haven’t been avoiding you, I just haven’t been able to get out of the office all week.”

Jack approached me, placing one hand on my hip, the other on my cheek. “Well then, I guess someone needs to loosen up.”

“You have no idea,” I said.

That night was a thousand times better than the drunken romp we’d had before. Working at Hyperion didn’t exactly facilitate having a healthy amount of sex, so I was undoubtedly a bit sex starved but still, there was something about being with Jack that just felt right. Being with him was the release that I so desperately needed in the world of corporate stress. Outside the bedroom he was charming and easy to talk to. In bed, let’s just say he was pretty decent. I heard rumors that that was one of the many things that changed about Jack after I had supposedly died but back then he could make me forget about the corporate rat race.

It was the first time that we’d had sex while sober and apparently my drunk self hadn’t noticed all the scars that Jack had on his body. It looked like many knife wounds or like he had been scratched up by some kind of vicious creature. I wasn’t sure if I should ask what they were, but I was curious. Jack seemed to notice my fixation as we were lying in bed together afterwards.

“If you’re wondering, I got into a nasty fight years ago,” he said. It was as though he had anticipated my curiosity.

“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to stare.”

“It’s all good, pumpkin,” he replied. “They’re kind of hard to miss. It was really stupid actually, I got into a fight with this guy back home over this girl. I start yelling, threatening to take him out, she’s freaking out and then this guy pulls a knife on me. I tried to fight back but he gave me a bunch of gashes and, well, I got these.” He gestured to the scars.

It was almost as though he had perfectly rehearsed this story and told it a thousand times. I didn’t think much of it at the time. He probably got asked about it a lot.

“You must have really liked her if you were willing to get yourself cut up for her,” I commented.

“I was just a kid,” Jack commented. “Every girl seems worth it when you’re fifteen.”

I laughed. “Still, any normal person would have run as soon as the guy pulled the knife.”

Jack seemed to go quiet for a second, as if he didn’t know quite how to respond. “Guess I’m not any normal person.”

Hooking up became a regular thing for Jack and I. It was nice to be able to come home after a long day and be with someone who didn’t ask questions or demand anything from me. It was nice to have someone I could be close with, without the commitment.

One of those times when we were lying next to each other after sex, the mood changed. Jack looked at me, differently than he had before. I looked back at him suspiciously, cocking my head.

“What’s up?” I asked. “You’re looking at me funny.”

“I just want you so bad Stella,” he said, still somewhat out of breath from our encounter. “Let’s cut the crap and get serious.”

I have to admit I was taken aback and somewhat repulsed by his suggestion. I wasn’t exactly the relationship type at that point, or at least I didn’t think I was. I felt like I couldn’t devote my energy to another person that much.

“Okay,” I said, sarcastically. “Let’s be exclusive and keep burying ourselves in work and having sex on occasion until someone’s had enough and inevitably cheats. We both know that’s not gonna fuckin work out here. Everyone in this company who’s tied down is more depressed than the rest of us. It’s not worth the bullshit.”

“Pumpkin, come on, it’s what we both want,” Jack said.

I rolled my eyes and got out of the bed. He was right, but I knew it was wrong. “Trust me, it’s not what you want.”

“You know what makes me mad?” Jack asked, a spiteful undertone in his voice. “When people talk down to me, acting all high and mighty, like they know better.”

I turned back to him. “I’m just being honest, okay. I know myself, I know the situation, and I want to save us both from going in blind and feeling shitty afterwards.”

Jack got out of the bed, stepping close to me. I couldn’t read his emotions. He was making me nervous, yet part of me liked the closeness.

“Princess, I’m not the one who’s blind here.” He grabbed my hips, I flinched.

“Stop it, Jack.”

“Hey, you remember the first time we did this?” he asked.

“Yeah, it was fun, got a little tipsy after a rough day, we fucked, why are you bringing it up now?”

I stepped back, getting out of his grasp.

“Cause you wouldn’t have done that sober, now would you pumpkin?”

I shrugged. “Maybe not, maybe I would have but everyone does things they wouldn’t do sober after a few drinks.”

“You did what you really wanted to though.” Jack responded. “I’m just thinking, would you really be saying no to me right now if you had a few drinks in you?”

My heart was pounding. I didn’t want him to be right. I knew if I was drunk then there was a high probability I’d concede and become attached, but that would be stupid, right?

I couldn’t think about it with Jack standing there in front of me. I turned away and started putting my clothes back on. I wanted him to go away so I could forget about the whole thing. I wanted to block it all out, to forget that Jack ever asked me to commit, that we ever had sex, that night on Eden 5, I wanted to forget he existed.

Except that I didn’t, there was part of me that really fucking liked Jack. I liked how he made me feel. I’d had nothing in my life that made me feel like doing anything except absorbing myself in work. I did want to take our relationship one step further but the thought still scared me.

“You can’t ignore me forever princess,” Jack said, interrupting my train of thought. “You’ll come around eventually. I’ll just leave you to have a think about it.”

I shook my head. “This whole thing was stupid, I should have known one of us would get attached. We can’t do this anymore.”

Jack sighed, annoyed. “I told you, I don’t like being talked down to.”

“I’m not talking down to you, Jack, I’m just being real here. This whole thing was stupid. We work together! Sleeping with co-workers never ends well!”

At this point I wasn’t even sure I meant what I was saying. I was making excuses, trying to justify my own fears with some kind of logic.

“Except you are talking down to me,” Jack said, his voice becoming louder and angrier. “You’re acting like you know better than me cause you’re some fancy investment banker who’s family owns some big hedge fund on Eden 5 and I’m just a dumb little code monkey from the middle of buttfuck nowhere!”

“What the fuck does where I’m from have to do with anything?” I retorted, matching his volume.

“Oh come on Stella, you know what I’m talking about,” Jack yelled. “You could’ve just said no and sent me on my way but no, you had to go around moralizing and acting like I’m stupid for even considering the possibility that you would be my girlfriend. I know what I want, I know what’s good for me. Don’t act like you know better.”

“And you’re acting like you can read my mind,” I screamed. “I told you I didn’t want commitment and you’re the one who didn’t leave well enough alone! Just get the fuck out.”

Jack scoffed and started to gather his things to leave. As he was headed out the door, he stopped, turning back to me. 

“The reason I didn’t leave well enough alone is because you never said you didn’t want to be with me. I guess you were too busy being a condescending bitch.”

After he slammed the door of my apartment, I stood there in silence. For a second, I wondered if I was wrong. Deep down, I knew I wanted to be with Jack. I loved hanging out with him, the sex was pretty good, and I felt a connection with him. I quickly pushed those thoughts down. There was no way it would work, it couldn’t work, I needed to forget it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella tries to stay far away from Jack, but he's not about to let that happen.

In an ideal world, I would have never seen Jack again after that night. Unfortunately for me, my job required that I at least have an indirect working relationship with him. It was only a week later that I was stuck having a meeting with his team of programmers. We had to present one of their projects to investors so there was no getting out of this one.

I was hoping and praying that Jack wouldn’t be there. I figured I’d be in the clear since before our reunion, I had managed to go a full quarter without knowing Jack was even on that team. My luck was not so good though. Even then, if you pissed Jack off, he wouldn’t hesitate to try and make your life just a little harder if he could. When I showed up to the meeting room, Jack was the only one there.

I resolved to keep things as professional as possible and to just try and talk business. The meeting wouldn’t be very long, I just needed to get the programmers to explain the technical aspects well enough that I could sound like I knew what I was talking about in front of the investors. I wasn’t about to let Jack ruin my day, or so I thought.

“Are you just gonna give me the silent treatment, pumpkin?” Jack asked, breaking the silence.

“I have a name, Jack, use it,” I said, barely making eye contact with him.

“You didn’t seem to mind what I called you the other night.”

“I’m not gonna play your games, Jack,” I said. “When’s everyone else getting here? I have a lot of work to do.”

“They’re on their way,” Jack said. “I just wanted to spend some time with you first.”

“Well don’t expect much,” I replied.

I opened a file and began to aimlessly look through it. I could feel Jack staring at me from across the table but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction that would come with me acknowledging him.

Within a few minutes the rest of the team arrived and we could get started. The meeting itself would have been fairly boring and uneventful if Jack wasn’t there but what would have been just a routine meeting about prepping yet another presentation for investors turned into something else.

“So basically, we’re working on improving the stabilizer technology so that it syncs to your bio-indicators while you’re firing,” the team lead explained. “But Jack here’s been doing the most work on it, in fact he insisted that only he’d be able to explain it properly.”

I subtly rolled my eyes. Explaining this stabilizing technology had nothing to do with why he had insisted on coming to this meeting and I knew it.

Jack leaned forward, smirking. “So let me break it down for you, pumpkin. When you’re firing a gun you’re amped, right. So you’re more likely to make a mistake, get angry, start talking down to people, you know.”

He just had to throw in the “talking down to people” bit, didn’t he? And he really didn’t quit it with the pet names.

“So what I’ve done is taken those stabilizer prototypes that Hyperion’s been plugging and tried to make it so the gun’s AI reads your vitals. Like if your heart’s beating faster, or you’re getting warmer, your hormone levels, that kind of stuff.”

His eye contact was unbreaking. As he listed of vital signs, I could feel my pulse increase, my stomach started to feel uneasy. I hated what he was doing to me, especially in front of his colleagues.

“Come to think of it, it would also be great if you’re trying to kill some guy you just slept with, it’ll get all those pesky feelings out of the way with a good, precise, shot. Cause, y’know, even a perfect shot like you sometimes gets a little heated and needs some help.”

It was taking everything in me not to curse him out right then and there. But that would be letting him win. I couldn’t give him the satisfaction. But I wasn’t about to let him get away with this.

“I think I understand just fine, Jack,” I said, firmly. “I should be able to take this to the investors, just get me those schematics so they’ve got something nice to look at. Before the end of the day, no later.”

I could spot a smug look on Jack’s face out of the corner of my eye as everyone began to pack up. I waited for the other members of the team to disperse a bit before rushing to catch up with Jack so I could make sure he knew exactly where he stood.

“What the fuck are you playing at?” I snapped, stopping him in his tracks.

“Nothing,” he said, defensively. “I’m just coming to a work meeting, helping you get ready for that big presentation so we can get some more money.”

I scoffed. “So after not showing up at these meetings for the whole year, you just decide to pop in for fun?”

“Stella, what the hell do you think I’m doing?” Jack demanded, a somewhat facetious undertone in his voice. “I know the tech best, just thought I should come to explain it in person.”

“I think you’re trying to fuck with me,” I told him. “Those little explanations you gave were hardly just technical descriptions, I think…no, I know that you said some of that shit just to get to me! You’re pissed that I wouldn’t be your girlfriend and now you’re trying to get in my life and make me crack, but I’ve made up my mind Jack, and it’s not gonna work.”

“It’s always about you, isn’t it Stella,” he said, raising his voice. “You’re the center of the universe and everyone just does things to fuck with you!”

People were starting to notice what was going on, which made the situation even worse.

“Am I wrong?” I yelled. “Tell me, Jack, tell me I’m wrong!”

“Fine!” Jack exclaimed. “Maybe I was here to see you, but you’re the one who decided that I was fucking with you and started making a scene.”

“You can’t expect me to believe that you didn’t know how that looked,” I retorted. “You were acting like a smug asshole back there. Some of that shit you said, there’s no way you would have said that to anyone else! There’s no way you didn’t realize that would mess with my focus!”

“Well at least now you know how it feels to be treated like trash!” Jack called as he stormed off.

I spent the rest of the day working hard to prepare that presentation. It was hard to focus through the anger I felt toward Jack. Deep down I was hurt. Jack had become a friend, someone who could take me away from the daily grind of the corporate world and now he was only making that grind harder. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss when I thought about the man who I met after that horrible client dinner. The one who took me to the party in the shooting range, who would always seem to show up at my door when I needed it. I missed that person.

It was coming close to midnight when I finally made it back to my apartment. I wanted nothing more than to just crash on my bed and forget about today. Needless to say, I was none too pleased to see Jack waiting outside my door.

“Leave,” I told him, barely making eye contact as I began to fumble with my keys.

“What if I’m here to say sorry?” He asked.

“You treated me like shit today, Jack,” I said, turning to face him. “I don’t like being embarrassed in front of people I work with just cause I wouldn’t be some asshole’s girlfriend.”

“You know, I’m almost scared of you when you’re bitching me out,” Jack said. “It’s kinda hot.”

I rolled my eyes. “If you think I’m gonna fall for that shit after what you pulled today, you’re delusional.”

“Look if you want me to go, I’ll go,” Jack said. “Or you could let me come in and apologize.”

It was strange, even after what he’d done to me, there was still that part of me that liked him, a lot. I was angry at him but also angry at myself for still wanting him. I felt like I shouldn’t forgive him, I didn’t want to feel weak for giving in so easily but I wanted to be able to forgive him. When he wasn’t being an ass, he was kind of nice to be around.

“If you’re gonna apologize, you’re gonna do it out here and it’d better be damn good,” I warned him. “You give me some half assed non-apology then you’re done. This is your last chance, Jack.”

The smirk disappeared from Jack’s face. It looked as though he was finally taking me seriously. His walls seemed to be disappearing, if only a little.

“Alright, fine, you win,” Jack conceded. “I’m sorry I was an ass to you. Today and last week. I came to the meeting today cause I thought maybe we could be friends again. You were right, I was there cause I wanted to see what would happen and to push your buttons a bit. I said shit to try and get a rise out of you cause that’s how I deal with these things. I hate feeling ignored, I wanted to get your attention. Cause, honestly, I’ve missed you, Stella. And I didn’t know how else to handle it so I acted like an ass. It’s what I do when I’m out of ideas. Kinda like a defence mechanism.”

I had never seen Jack be so sincere. The closest he’d gotten was when he’d asked me to be his girlfriend. I had to finally be honest with myself, I missed him as well. In all honesty, I had behaved a bit childish as well. Neither of us was entirely innocent.

“Fine, I can forgive you,” I said. “On one condition.”

“Anything you want, princess,” Jack said.

“Take me to dinner,” I said. “That’s your last chance to impress me.”

He smirked. “I knew you couldn’t get enough of me.”

“Yeah yeah,” I said. “Break my heart and I’ll blow your head off.”

He laughed, stepping closer towards me. “That’s my girl,” he said, leaning in to kiss me.

I had missed that feeling. I felt warm when we were close, when he held me in his arms.

“I’m sorry too,” I said, after pulling away. “I probably could have handled the whole thing better. It wasn’t all you, I was kind of a bitch too.”

Jack shrugged. “I probably deserved it.”


	7. Just One Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella decided to give Jack one more chance, and he's prepared to do what it takes.

On the night of the date, I was feeling somewhat uneasy. I was still a bit unhappy with how Jack had behaved after our fight so I knew I couldn’t be too easy on him. At the same time, I was secretly hoping that Jack was prepared to do what it took to win me back. I wasn’t getting my hopes up too much but the thought of him putting in the effort gave me butterflies.

I gave myself a final once over in the mirror, knowing Jack would be there any minute. The red dress I had picked out showed a good amount of skin but made me feel powerful at the same time. I heard the buzzer ring at my door and quickly put on my black leather heels and ran my hands through my hair one last time before answering.

I opened the door to find Jack for once not wearing his Hyperion branded jacket but instead wearing a nice dress shirt and pants. He looked nicer than he ever had. I had to stop myself from showing how attractive I found him.

“Hiya Princess,” Jack said, extending his hand. “Someone went all out.”

I grabbed his hand, closing the door behind me. “I like getting dressed up, don’t think I did it for you.”

“Say what you want, honey but I think you’ll be singing a different tune by the end of tonight,” Jack responded.

I scoffed. “You know I’m not gonna make this easy on you. You’ve got a lot to prove to me.”

Jack led me out, towards the cab he had ordered. “And you know I’m not gonna let a sexy girl like you get away from me so easily.”

“So where are you taking me” I asked, climbing into the car and taking my seat.

“Somewhere that a girl like you’d be accustomed to,” he said, cryptically.

I smirked. “What’s that supposed to mean,” I asked.

“Well, I figure if I’m gonna try and land myself an investment banker from Eden 5, I should give her the kind of thing she’s used to,” Jack said.

I was somewhat perplexed with this fixation he seemed to have on my background. We hadn’t spent much time talking about our respective pasts, and I found myself starting to wonder about his. I didn’t understand why my upbringing and profession made up so much of how Jack saw me.

“Jack, don’t go putting me on some pedestal cause of where I’m from and what I do,” I told him. “Sure, I grew up with nice things, but that also taught me that nice things don’t mean shit if you’re an ass.”

Before he could respond, the car stopped in front of one of the nicest restaurants in the City. Jack got out and came around to open the car door for me, extending his hand to help me out. He led me into the building and up to the rooftop, where he’d reserved a table for us overlooking the city.

“Stella, honey, unlike you I grew up with nothing. My first paycheque at Hyperion was more money than I’d seen in my life. While I’d love to be able to just buy anything I want, I’m not quite making that much yet so you can rest assured that I’m not just throwing money at you for shits and giggles. I wanted to show you a good time cause believe it or not I like you, a lot.”

“Guess I’m just used to people using their money to solve all their problems, thinking that’s all it takes,” I replied.

Jack grabbed my hand from across the table. “If I thought you were that easy, I wouldn’t be interested. You’re the kind of girl who deserves the best, it’d be a shame if you were used to anything less than this.”

I couldn’t help but blush. He knew how to charm. “I’m glad you think I’m worth it.”

“You know, you never did tell me much about how you grew up, other than that you come from money,” Jack commented.

“It’s not all that exciting,” I told him, trying to avoid the subject. “My Uncle started Giannetti Capital, got my aunt into it, and our family was set. We had a lot, money was never an issue. What about you? You said you came from nothing but what kinda nothing are we talking about here? All I know is that you smuggled yourself onto this planet.”

“When I say nothing, I mean that it’s a god damn miracle I’m working for Hyperion now,” Jack started. “My grandmother raised me, taught me how to dodge a buzzaxe. Parents died when I was young.”

“When you say she taught you how to dodge a buzzaxe….” I trailed off, not wanting to say what I thought that meant.

“I mean it was what she used when I fucked up, that’s what really gave me those scars, the fight thing’s just a story I told anyone who saw me shirtless,” Jack said. “And before you say you’re sorry that happened, don’t. It was hell but it was all the more reason for me to work my ass off to get here. I knew I didn’t want to stay stuck with nothing, that it was gonna take a lot. So, I’m no stranger to working for what I want.”

I was surprised at how Jack was opening up to me. It almost made me want to be fully open with him about where I came from, but I knew I couldn’t be. Maybe one day, but not now, not when I still wasn’t sure exactly how much I could trust Jack. I knew it was dangerous to tell anyone the truth, no matter how bad I felt about it.

We sat in silence for a moment that seemed to go on for too long. I didn’t know what to say. I always felt like my life hadn’t exactly been easy but hearing about what Jack had gone through made me almost feel bad about some of the choices I’d made. I had taken a lot for granted, I never knew what it was like to have nothing, and to have to claw your way to the top. In that moment, I felt as though I could never fully understand Jack.

“Come on, princess, I said I didn’t want you feeling sorry for me, don’t look at me like I’m a stray animal,” Jack said, breaking the silence. “I didn’t bring you here to bring up all the bad shit from my childhood. I brought you here to get you whatever you want in hopes that you’ll forgive me for being an ass.”

I smiled, changing my demeanour. “Well then don’t think your little sob story is gonna make me go easier on you.”

“I wouldn’t want you to,” Jack replied.

Jack wasn’t lying when he said he would get me whatever I wanted. If my glass was empty, he’d make sure I got it filled. If there was something that caught my eye on the menu, it wouldn’t be long until it was in front of me. While I wasn’t one to be impressed by big spending, I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy myself.

“Why are you here, anyway?” Jack asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

I cocked my head at him, usure what he meant.

“You say you’ve got ambitions, big dreams and all but you’ve never really talked about what those are,” he commented. “Why do you want to make it big?”

I smiled. No one, in all my career, had ever asked me about that.

“I have ideas,” I said. “Ideas that I know could make Hyperion the most valuable, powerful corporation there is. If only I could get to a place where I could actually use them…”

“Like what?” Jack asked. “Everyone’s got ideas pumpkin, but a lot of them aren’t really that good.”

I set down my fork and knife, crossing my arms and giving Jack an unimpressed look.

“I thought you were supposed to be trying to impress me,” I scoffed. “Not talking to me like I’m some chump with shit ideas.”

Jack laughed. “I never said your ideas were shit, princess. Let’s hear ‘em.”

I sighed. “Alright well, a lot of companies have done mining operations in some of the outer worlds, right. The thing is they’ve spent all this money on it and had little to no gain and then they’ve just left, leaving these planets as a wasteland.”

“And you’ve got some plan to do things differently?” Jack asked, interrupting.

“You see the thing they all get wrong is they’re looking for resources that we already use. Meanwhile, some of these planets have new minerals, new resources and we don’t even know their potential,” I continued, my tone becoming more enthusiastic. “It’s a bit of a gamble but if we invest in finding those new minerals, we could make all kinds of new advancements. The amount of new tech we could develop, the potential for developing new weapons, we just need to invest in the r and d. No one wants to do that kind of thing cause it’s a huge upfront cost and it’s kind of risky but the fact is that Hyperion needs to start standing out, and some stabilizer technology isn’t going to cut it. I want to invest in those new projects, and bring Hyperion to the top. It’s just a bitch to get there.”

Jack leaned back in his chair, pensively. I could see him slowly start to nod. “Yeah, that could work. That could really work. If we could be the first to use these things and get the patents for the tech, then no one could touch us.”

I nodded, smiling. Jack was the first person I had ever told about my ideas and it was good to have some validation. It could be isolating, thinking these things over alone. Sometimes I’d start to feel like I was crazy. Finally having someone on my side who could get behind my ambitions was an unfamiliar feeling, but it was a good one.

“You know, I think we deserve another bottle of this stuff if we’re gonna do this and be rich beyond our wildest dreams, don’t you, Princess,” Jack asked, holding up the empty bottle of wine.

I laughed. “Since when were _we_ going to do anything?”

“If you think I’m gonna just hear your little scheme and watch from the sidelines, you don’t know me,” Jack said with a wink. “And if you think you can make it alone, then you don’t know the first thing about success.”

I shook my head. “And what makes you think that I like you enough to involve you in any of my plans?” I asked. Really, I did want to have Jack on my side. But I was also still testing him. I couldn’t let him think that he was all of a sudden back in my good books after treating me to dinner and wine.

“Well, you haven’t gotten up and left yet,” Jack retorted. “Also, you haven’t said no.”

“Maybe I’m still thinking about it,” I said, coyly.

“Then maybe that second bottle of wine will seal the deal,” Jack suggested.

“You know, I didn’t ask you to take me to dinner you could buy my affection,” I told him.

“Oh, come on princess, don’t tell me you just wanted a free meal out of me,” he replied, teasingly. “Here I was thinking I had a shot with you.”

I laughed. “No, you weren’t wrong about that part,” I said. “But the reason I asked you to take me out is cause I like having you around, and I wanted to make sure that forgiving you and deciding to give a relationship a go wasn’t a mistake. I thought I should actually try dating you instead of just sleeping with you.”

“I thought you weren’t interested in a relationship,” Jack said. “I seem to remember you saying that it was a dumb idea and that we’d just cheat on each other.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I know, and I’m still not sure I’m ready to go all in but you were kinda right. I do like you and I do kinda want to see what this could be. I also figure I could use some help in my plan to rule Hyperion one day.”

“So, we’re doing this?” Jack asked.

I shook my head. “Not yet,” I said. “You’ve been good to me all night but I wanna be completely sure before I agree to anything. Come home with me.”

Jack smirked. “I thought you’d never ask.”


	8. Home on the Range

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Stella have started dating but their work is still keeping them apart. Jack decides that needs to change.

It had been almost a week since Jack and I had committed to a relationship and we were barely seeing each other. I had been bogged down by work and so had Jack. But if there was one thing I can say about Jack, it’s that he never let things just happen to him. If he didn’t like how something was going, he’d change it, one way or another.

I was in my office, trying to finish up some paperwork that was due the next day when I heard a knock on my door. I looked up to see Jack standing there.

“Hey you,” I said, a smile forming on my face. Boy was he a sight for sore eyes.

“I thought we discussed the whole you avoiding me thing,” Jack commented, smugly. “I’m almost starting to think you didn’t actually want to commit.”

I sighed. “I’m sorry Jack, this week has just been crazy. If I could get the hell out of here, I would.”

“Well,” Jack started, gesturing towards the door. “Nothing’s stopping you.”

“I have to get these papers in by tomorrow,” I explained, “I can’t leave until they’re done.”

“Come on,” Jack said. “You can’t afford a break?”

“I wish I could,” I replied.

“Give me two hours,” Jack said. “Then you can come back here and work til you’re done but let’s get out of here for a bit, do something fun.”

I stared at the clock on the wall. It was already 8:30. I looked down at the papers. In all honestly, most of them were done, I only had about another hour or two of work to do on them. It would be a late night but God, did I want to get out and spend time with Jack.

I got up from my desk. “Fine,” I said. “Two hours. What are we doing?”

Jack shrugged. “I was gonna ask you? What do you do to blow off steam.”

I laughed. “I dunno, I drink. Can’t really do that now though.”

“Oh come on,” Jack said. “There’s gotta be something else. What do rich girls do to blow off steam when daddy doesn’t buy them a new pony?”

I thought back to my childhood. “Y’know, I kinda just wanna go out into the middle of nowhere and just shoot things. I guess we could go down to the testing range.”

Jack shook his head. “Nah, we’re getting out of this building, I’ve got an idea, come with me.”

I followed Jack as he took me out of the building and down to the parking garage to grab one of the company cars.

“Get in,” he said. “We’re going on an adventure.”

I got in, still unsure what he had in mind. “You’re not taking me too far are you?” I asked. “I said two hours, no more.”

“What’s you’re weapon of choice?” he asked, as we pulled out onto the busy roads of Eden 5.

“I don’t know if I should tell you,” I said.

“Come on, I won’t judge you if it’s not a Hyperion,” Jack said.   
  


I sighed. “Fine, I’ll tell you. It’s a Jakobs Rex.”

Jack just laughed. “You’re not serious? I never would have pegged you as a Jakobs girl. That’s a hillbilly gun!”

“I told you I shouldn’t tell you!” I exclaimed. “I just like a classic.”

“Okay, okay,” Jack said. “We’ll stop by the munitions store and grab one.”

“Jack, you’re not buying me a gun!” I told him. “Those things are expensive.”

“Who said anything about buying,” Jack commented. “I was thinking we rent one, take it for a spin and then give it back and I’ll keep your dirty little secret.”

I laughed. “Okay, lead the way.”

We stopped and got ourselves a couple of guns and then Jack continued to drive me out towards the city limits.

“Jack where are we going?” I asked. “If I didn’t know better I’d think you were gonna take me out of the city to murder me.”

Jack laughed. “No, princess, I’m taking you out somewhere where we can be alone and you can shoot things to your heart’s content.”

Jack continued to drive us out until we reached a large, empty, open field. It was a rare sight on Eden 5. Most of the planet had been developed beyond recognition but there were still a few empty areas right outside the major cities. He stopped the car and got out. I followed, taking my pistol with me.

Jack went over and opened the trunk, pulling out a few Hyperion targets.

“Don’t tell me you stole those,” I said.

“We were testing some of those new stabilizers this week,” Jack explained. “I was gonna bring these back to the testing range tonight but don’t worry, I didn’t just take them without asking.”

“Are those stabilizers as shit as they sound?” I asked. “I mean with the whole getting more accurate the more you shoot thing? Who needs a gun that’s only accurate if you shoot over and over again?”

Jack laughed. “That’s the kind of thing a Jakobs girl would say.”

I cringed slightly. “Being a good shot is hardly a Jakobs thing!”

“And yet here you are with a Jakobs gun,” he commented.

“It’s a good gun,” I retorted.

Jack just shook his head and went out to set things up.

I watched as Jack went and set up the targets in the field. When he was finished he came back and sat himself down on the hood of the car.

“Well,” he said, gesturing out into the field. “Go nuts, honey.”

I smiled, getting my pistol loaded and lining myself up.

It had been a long time since I had been able to shoot like this. I had done this a lot as a kid. I would go out as far as I could on the estate and shoot whatever target I could. I didn’t realize how much I had missed doing it.

I shot a few rounds, hitting the targets with ease. I still had it.

I turned to Jack. “You want a go?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Nah, I kinda like watching you.”

I lowered my pistol. “Are you sure about that? Or are you just too scared to embarrass yourself cause you’re a worse shot than me?”

Jack just smirked and gestured for me to come over to him. I walked over, putting the pistol down on the hood next to him.

“Is it so wrong that I enjoy watching my hot girlfriend shoot things with impeccable accuracy?” he asked, placing his hands on my waist.

I smiled. “I guess not.”

For a moment we caught each other’s gaze and just looked in each other’s eyes. I felt my heart start to speed up and began to feel a fluttering in my stomach. I hadn’t felt like this ever. I had never been so enthralled by someone that the world just felt irrelevant. For a moment, I forgot about work, about all that I needed to get done for the next day, about the late hours I was going to have to pull to make up for this little excursion. It was just me, Jack, our guns, and the open field.

Before I could return to my senses, Jack pulled me in closer and kissed me deeply. I grabbed him by the back of the head, deepening the moment.

I would have gone farther had my echo not started beeping at me. I quickly pulled away and looked at it. It was our branch’s receptionist, probably calling to remind me about all the paperwork that I needed to get done.

“I should go back, I still have a few hours worth of paperwork to do before tomorrow,” I said.

“Aw, I was just starting to enjoy myself,” Jack said.

“I had fun,” I told him, “thank you for this.”

“Anytime, princess.”

When I got back to my office, I felt somewhat refreshed. I was grateful that Jack was able to pull me away, even for a bit. I was grateful that I got to relive a small piece of the life I had left behind. I was glad to have someone who could bring out a side of me that I had forgotten.


	9. Dreams and Heartbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella receives some shocking news and makes a decision with implications greater than she knows.

Jack’s and my relationship started out amazing. It was tough to see each other because of the demands of our jobs but when we did get to see each other I felt relaxed. Jack had this way about him that could just make you forget about work, or at least make it seem like it wasn’t such a big deal. I found myself really falling for him in a way that I hadn’t fallen for anyone before. He took me away from the endless grind of corporate life. He gave me that sense of adventure that I’d always been looking for. Honestly, I loved him.

One day I was at work and I started to feel really terrible. My stomach was turning inside out and I felt sluggish beyond belief. I thought I had some kind of stomach flu, but I kept working through it. When I finally got off work that night, Jack ended up stopping by. Not exactly the best timing, but I thought maybe seeing him would make me feel better. He picked up on the fact that something was wrong right away though.

“You look like hell, honey,” he commented.

“I feel like a saurian’s clawing at my insides,” I replied. “I’ve been feeling like I’m gonna puke all day. I haven’t eaten anything but it just gets worse.”

“You should really get that checked out, pumpkin,” Jack told me.

“I’ll be fine, I just gotta sleep it off,” I said, brushing him off.

All of a sudden it got worse. I ran straight to the bathroom and started hurling my guts out in the toilet. Jack ran in after me.

“Woah there, I don’t think sleeping it off is gonna work here,” he said. “Let’s get you to a doctor.”

I reluctantly let Jack take me to the doctor. If I hadn’t been so damn exhausted I would have fought him harder on the matter but I didn’t have the energy. When I got in, the doctor checked me over, asked a bunch of personal questions, took a blood sample and went out for a bit. I was still figuring it was a stomach bug. Although the question about when my last period was should really have raised a red flag for me, I just kind of ignored it. After what felt like hours of waiting, he came back in.

“So, am I good to go?” I asked. “How long am I out for?”

“Well, you’re not sick, so you can get back to work tomorrow,” the doctor explained.

“Great, so what’s wrong with me then?”

“Nothing’s wrong with you per say,” the doctor started. “You’re pregnant.”

I stared at him in shock. I hadn’t even thought that getting pregnant was possible.

“How is that possible?” I asked. “I had my IUD put in right after I got the job.”

The doctor shook his head. “They gave you a Hyperion IUD, didn’t they. Those things are defective as hell, I’m surprised no one told you. If you want, I can try and get you a more effective one once we deal with this problem. Either way, we should get this one out right away.”

I nodded and scheduled the removal procedure for the next day.

“So, what now?” I asked.

“That’s up to you,” the doctor said. “If you want to terminate, we can do that tomorrow as well.”

“I uh, I need some time to figure things out,” I said, my head still reeling from the overwhelming news that had just been presented.

As I walked out, I was visibly shaken up. The news was the last thing I had expected to hear. I didn’t know what to do. I had never even taken the time to think if I wanted a kid, especially right now.

Jack shot up from his chair in the waiting room when he saw me walking out.

“Took you long enough in there,” he quipped. “What’d they say?”

I sighed, unsure how to tell him the news. He picked up on my unease.

“Is it bad? Terminal illness? A month left to live? Come on Stella, gimme something.”

“I’m pregnant,” I told him.

He was clearly taken aback by this. “Woah, that’s…that’s something.”

“Yeah,” I replied. “It’s definitely…something.”

“Well what are you gonna do?” Jack asked, panic starting to form in his voice.

“I don’t know,” I said, “I didn’t even think this could happen, I need time to think.”

When I got back to my place that night, I found myself in unable to do anything except think about the fact that I was pregnant, and I had no idea what to do about it. Having kids and a family was just something I had never given myself time to think about. My family situation was complicated, to say the least. I didn’t even know if I’d be capable of being a mother. I had always been so focused on making something of myself that the issue just never crossed my mind. But now I had no choice but to think about it.

There was part of me that wanted to start a family. Maybe I could give my child the family I never really had. On the other hand, there was so much that was standing in the way. With my job, having a child would be tough, if not impossible. The hours I needed to work weren’t exactly conducive to a family. I didn’t even know if I could be a good mother at all, much less be a good mother and do my job.

Then there was Jack. Was he ready to be a father? Would he stay with me if I chose to keep it? He was still a few years younger than me, did he have more life he wanted to live?

This was the kind of anxiety that would normally make me reach for a drink but even that wasn’t really an option right now. I was feeling quite exhausted and still a bit ill so I went to bed. Strangely enough, I was able to fall asleep rather quickly, and fall into one of the strangest most vivid dreams I had ever experienced.

~~

I found myself lying in a purple, crystalline structure, with blinding light coming from every direction. A strange alien creature emerged from the light and came to float above me. It raised a large sceptre that began to glow, the light becoming larger and brighter with each moment until I was bathed in the light.

All of a sudden the light vanished. I found myself back in my apartment, looking down at a large, pregnant belly. A sense of warmth came over me as I touched it. That warm feeling grew as I could somehow see the future that was in front of me. I could see myself as a mother, raising a child with Jack. I could envision us having a family and that feeling made me happier than I had ever felt before.

In that moment, I knew what I wanted. I knew that I should have this child. I knew I wanted to have a family of my own.

As the warmth continued to wash over me, I found myself being drawn back into the light that had consumed me before and I was taken back to the crystalline structure where the dream had begun. The creature was in front of me again. It made eye contact with me, turned around, and slowly began to glide away from me as my surroundings became more blurry and faded.

~~

I shot awake suddenly. I grabbed at my surroundings, making sure that I was back in the real world. _It was just a dream,_ I thought. _It means nothing._

All day I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wanted to have the baby. I kept trying to shake off the feeling. It couldn’t have been that dream that made me want this. I had never believed that dreams meant much of anything but that warm feeling I had felt in the dream seemed to come back every time I thought about keeping the baby. I couldn’t shake the thought that I wanted to have a family. This could be my chance. Something was telling me that this was just…right.

At the time I didn’t think the dream and my thoughts could really be connected, but now, I realize there may have been some greater power at work.

I had to tell Jack. So, I called and told him to come by my place that evening.

Jack showed up at my door soon after I got back from work that night.

“I came as soon as I could, what’s up?” he asked. “What are you doing about…y’know.” He glanced down at my stomach.

“That’s why I called you,” I said. “Why don’t you sit down.”

Jack was looking more worried as he followed me over to the couch.

“So, I’ve thought about it, a lot, and I’ve decided that I want to keep the baby,” I told him. A nervous feeling washed over me as I said the words. I wasn’t entirely sure how Jack would react to this decision, but I definitely didn’t want to end up losing him. Even if I knew what I wanted.

He looked at me, stunned.

“I know that it’s kind of out of nowhere and this might not be the best time, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s what I want,” I explained. “I never really thought about having a family but now that the chance is right in front of me, I want it.”

Jack was still looking shocked and uncertain.

“Stella, what the fuck are you thinking?” he exclaimed, panicked and clearly shaken by this news. “I can’t be a father. Not now, hell, probably not ever.”

“I’m not changing my mind, Jack,” I said, trying to sound firm. Inside I was also shaken and scared. I had said it without even thinking but I couldn’t help the pang of doubt that hit me right after I spoke. “I know this is what I want and if you don’t want this then I don’t blame you. I won’t make you be a part of this child’s life. The last thing I want is for them to have a father who resents them.”

I was operating on autopilot. Before, I hadn’t known what I would do if Jack couldn’t stick around but now, I was making that decision without a second thought.

“Why are you doing this Stella?” Jack asked, he sounded like he was about to burst into tears. “We had a good thing going! I did everything to try and get you in my life and now you’re willing to just throw it all away?”

He sounded as though I’d betrayed him. As if I was abandoning him.

“I don’t want this to be the end of us,” I told him. “But I also have to do what’s best for me.”

“Am I not what’s best for you?” Jack said.

“This isn’t about you, Jack,” I told him. “You’re the one with a choice to make. You want me, this is what you’re getting.”

“Well, at least now I know where your priorities are,” Jack said, getting up. “Goodbye Stella.”

With that, he left before I could even tell him to stop.

I sat there, shocked. I didn’t know what I should have expected from him. I guess I had hoped he would at least consider sticking around, rather than just dismissing the idea outright. In that moment, I thought it was the end. I felt alone and hurt, wondering if this decision was worth it.


	10. Third Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella receives a surprise visitor at work and an even more surprising question.

I tried to forget about everything that had happened with Jack by drowning myself in work and focusing on the pregnancy. I wasn’t sure how I was going to tell everyone I was pregnant and I knew it wouldn’t be taken all that well by the higher ups but I figured I’d have time to figure that out.

A few weeks after Jack had stormed out on me, as I was working away, I heard a knock on my door. I looked up and gasped, startled. It was Jack.

“Jack,” I said.

“Stella,” he responded, walking in. “I just came to drop these off.”

He put some papers down on my desk and started to walk away, before turning around.

“Y’know, I wasn’t gonna do this but, can we talk, tonight?” he asked. “I’ve just been thinking about everything and --”

“Yeah, tonight, I’ll make it work,” I said, not letting him finish. “Come by mine after work?”

“Actually, why don’t you come see me for a change,” he said.

“Sure, yeah, let’s do that,” I said.

I’m not quite sure why I was so eager to let the man back in my life. He had walked away from me after I decided to keep the baby. I shouldn’t have wanted anything to do with him. If I were talking to a friend, I would have told her to run far away and never talk to him again. But part of me wanted to hear him out. I may have tried but I couldn’t keep my feelings for him locked away. I couldn’t get all the good times we’d had out of my head. Jack still made me feel like things were going to be okay. If nothing else, maybe I could at least get some closure and truly move on.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from Jack. For all I knew, maybe he would try to make me choose him over the baby again. But something told me that wasn’t going to happen. If Jack wanted to make me feel bad about my decisions, he wasn’t the type to do it in private. I knew from experience that Jack was not above public humiliation to get what he wanted. If he wanted to make me change my mind he would have done something like rat me out to the higher ups, put my job on the line. Jack was the type of guy who didn’t just say ‘please’ over and over again to get what he wanted.

My heart was racing as I stood outside Jack’s door. It sped up as I pressed the buzzer next to it. My head was running through every possible scenario all at once until the door opened. When Jack answered, he seemed somewhat tense but also somewhat calm as he led me into his apartment.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” I asked, trying to put on a brave front. “I’m tired as shit so don’t waste my time.”

“I made a mistake,” Jack said. “Walking out on you like that. It was dumb. I was an ass.”

“Why’d you do it then?” I responded, my voice cracking slightly. “Why’d you act like I was holding you hostage and just up and leave me? That really fucking hurt y’know.”

“I was scared,” Jack said with a sigh. “I don’t wanna screw up my kid. I don’t know the first thing about being a dad and I know what it’s like to have shit parents.”

He paused, looking me in the eye, his nerves starting to show. “But I realized that I couldn’t leave you because of that. When I got home that night, I thought I’d get up the next day and tell the Investment Directors that you were pregnant, force your hand. But I couldn’t do it. I knew if I did, you might never forgive me. I do what I have to, to get what I want but seeing you hurt, and not having you, that’s not what I want. I need you, Stella. If you want this kid then to hell with it, I’m with you.”

“You’re sure about this?” I asked him. It seemed like such a sudden change. Then again, I knew Jack to be impulsive.

Jack nodded. “There’s also, something else that I realized.”

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small box.

“Stella, there’s no one else I’d rather spend the rest of my life with,” he said, opening the box. “Will you marry me?”

I stared at the ring in shock. I glanced up at him, then back at the ring. I didn’t know what to do. A few hours ago I had been thinking I would never see him again, now he was asking me to spend the rest of my life with him.

“What…when…” I stuttered, trying to catch my breath. “When did you decide this?”

“Well, I bought the ring a few months back after getting a _big_ bonus and figured I’d pull it out one day when it felt right,” he explained. “I came to drop off the papers cause I couldn’t get this feeling out of my mind, like something was missing without you. I told myself I’d know when I saw you and I the minute I did, my gut told me that I wanted to marry you.”

My mind was running a mile a minute. This was all so overwhelming. I knew I wanted to be with Jack, I knew I could forgive him for being scared of having a baby together but marrying him seemed like such a big step. At the same time, if we were going to have this baby together, we were stuck in each other’s lives one way or another.

“Fuck it,” I said. “Let’s get married.”


	11. No Secrets in a Marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The secret that Stella has tried so hard to keep finally comes out.

Our wedding wasn’t going to be much of an affair to write home about. We set a date about as quickly and impulsively as we entered the engagement. The morning after Jack proposed, we decided that as soon as we could both get a day off and I got myself some kind of white dress, then we were going to go and get ourselves married. It wasn’t the kind of wedding that I’d always imagined growing up but it was all I needed.

The night we had finally gotten our things together, just as we were about to get ready to go, I got a call that I wasn’t expecting. I looked at my echo and so my mother's name. I wouldn't have picked up but I had to know what she wanted.

“Nice of you to reach out Mrs. Jakobs,” I said as I answered. “It’s been what? Ten years now?”

“Come on, Stella,” my mother said. “You were the one who left the estate.”

“Well, your husband didn’t exactly leave me a choice,” I said, a snarky undertone in my voice.

“Honey, you know how Jakobs men are,” she responded. “For what it’s worth, I admired your choice to go off and forge your own path. I think you would’ve been a better heir to the family business than your brother, and your vision for the company was...”

“Tell that to Mr. Jakobs,” I said, before she could go on.

“Well, I didn’t call you to talk about the past, you’re clearly doing well for yourself,” she said, changing the subject.

“What’s it to you? How do you know so much about me all of a sudden?” I demanded.

“Well, your uncle told me that you got yourself knocked up and married so I convinced your father that you and this mysterious husband of yours deserve a place on the dining room wall,” she explained.

I scoffed. “You’re not serious? You think I want a place on that wall, after I spent my childhood getting sidelined, after your husband made damn sure, in his will, that I would never own the family business? I’m in a good place with Hyperion right now, I’m not gonna jeopardize that by coming out to Eden 6. It’s enough of a risk for me to take this call right now. If Hyperion finds out I’m a ---”

“Don’t you worry about that, honey,” she said, cutting me off. “I’ve arranged it with your uncle so they’ll send the painter out to you.”

“Oh yeah, not suspicious at all, we get people taking time off for family portraits all the time,” I replied sarcastically. “It’s not happening Maggie!”

“The Giannetti family has money and everyone knows it,” she said. “Even Hyperion. They won’t blink twice if one of their employees who comes from money is getting a family portrait done.”

“Fine,” I said, defeated. “Only if Jack agrees.”

As a hung up, I turned around to see Jack sitting on the couch. He had clearly heard at least part of the conversation.

“Only if I agree to what, princess?” he asked.

“My mother’s commissioned a family portrait of you and me,” I told him. “You can say no, if you want.”

I’d always been told there were no secrets in a marriage and I’d never quite believed it until that day. I hadn’t told Jack much about my past, and for good reason, as he was about to find out. I had stories to explain little things about me that could tip people off. I knew them so well that they almost seemed real. I’d done everything in my power to make sure that Jack never met my family, but the portrait thing made him suspicious.

“Honey, I knew you came from money but this is old money kind of stuff,” Jack commented. “You never did tell me much about your family.”

I shrugged. “You never told me much about yours.”

“I told you the important stuff, I told you how my grandmother gave me scars, I never tell anyone that,” Jack retorted. “Come on, Stella, we’re going to be married in a few hours, we’re about to have a kid together, it can’t be that bad.”

I sighed. It had been so long since I left my old life behind that it didn’t feel like my life anymore. It felt like a story I had read years ago.

“My name is Stella Giannetti,” I started. “But I was born as Stella Jakobs.”

Jack looked at me, shocked. “As in, Jakobs Corporation, Jakobs?”

I nodded. “My life on Eden 6 wasn’t going anywhere. My brother was set to inherit the company, even though he didn’t want it, so I could only go so far. Winny begged my father to give me the company instead but my father refused. Said that he wasn’t about to let Winny get out of his responsibility as the eldest child of a Jakobs. Winny and I decided that he would own the company in name while I actually ran things. It was an arrangement that I was alright with and one that my father quietly approved of. That is, until he found out what I wanted to do with the company.”

“What was so bad that he didn’t want you driving the ship?” Jack asked.

“Remember those ideas I told you about? The investments on the outer rim, new technologies, I started talking about doing that for the Jakobs Corporation and, well, my father didn’t like that,” I explained. “He said I’d be tainting the good Jakobs name if I brought in all this fancy new tech. Said that Jakobs was known for the classics and that it should stay that way. I didn’t budge, he cut me out.”

“How did he do that?”

“He changed his will,” I continued. “My father wrote in his will that his shares in the company must never be transferred to me.”

“Wait a minute, so you left a cozy life with your rich family just cause you wanted to own a company? You know that’s even more of a long shot here?” Jack exclaimed. “You could’ve just gotten rid of your brother or something, they do that all the time in this business.”

I shook my head. “You’ve never had a brother have you? Winny was a sweetheart, I could never bring myself to do anything to hurt him. I just wanted to be successful on my own terms, you know. I was tired of my father ignoring my ideas, belittling me. It was a cozy life, but not one I could live with.”

“I left home at sixteen,” I continued. “I started talking about business school on Eden 5 and my father made it clear that he wasn’t paying for it and that he wouldn’t support it. Said that I already had everything I needed on Eden 6 and that I was just being stubborn. He had an idea of what he wanted me to be and when I didn’t fall in line, he wanted nothing to do with me. So, I told him I couldn’t live like that and went to live with my aunt and uncle on Eden 5. That’s where the name Giannetti is from, my mom’s family. I knew that I’d never make it on my own as a Jakobs. Any company would assume I was just spying for my father so I had to get rid of any trace of the Jakobs name. I burned any evidence that I was ever a Jakobs and got the right documents forged so I could hide where I’m from if I ever got background checked. I even gave up my old Rex. I’ve never told anyone. Only my family knows.”

Jack sat there in silence. “So, you were just, never gonna tell me this, huh?”

“I guess I always knew I’d have to tell you eventually, but it’s been so long since I’ve been a Jakobs that it doesn’t even feel real, y’know,” I explained. “I’m Stella Giannetti now, my past doesn’t matter.”

A small smile appeared on Jack’s face again. “Well, now that I know all your deepest darkest secrets, what do you say we go and get ourselves married.”

I was relieved to hear how well he took the news and it showed. Now we both knew each others’ past. There were no more secrets. 

I grabbed his hands in mind and breathed a contented sigh. “I’d like that.”

As I went and began to get changed for our wedding, I realized how freeing it had felt to finally tell someone about where I came from. It was a secret that I had kept bottled up for years and now I could share it with someone. I could see a brightness in my eyes that I hadn’t seen in a long time. For just a moment, I was happy again.

I made a few final touches to my hair and smoothed my dress before heading out of the bathroom to meet Jack. I could see him turn around as I closed the bathroom door, his eyes lighting up as he saw me.

“Stop lookin’ at me like you’ve never seen me before,” I teased.

“Is it wrong to admire my soon to be wife?” he asked, his arms outstretched for me.

“I’m not even dressed like a bride,” I commented.

“You’re enough of a bride for me.”


End file.
